The Central Highlands are known as 'The Heart of Tasmania'.

As well as being ideally positioned, it is here that the purest rainwater on Earth and the melting snow in spring feed our crystal clear streams and rivers. These in turn replenish the thousands of lakes and lagoons, offering an abundance of superb fishing and scenic delights.

An easy drive from the lodge is Liffey Falls, arguably the prettiest falls in the state, nestled within cool temperate rainforest on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers. Framed by the dominant species of Tasmania's cool temperate rainforests - myrtle, sassafrass and leatherwood, the falls are understandably a popular spot among both Tasmanians and visitors alike. A nature walk leads from a picnic area near the carpark down through forests of towering eucalypts and tree ferns to the falls. A number of smaller falls are passed along the way.

The Liffey Falls State Reserve was included within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1989, a tribute to the globally significant value of the region. The area reveals a rich human heritage and insights into the forces which shaped the landscape over the past 250 million years.

The Central Highlands are also home to several golf courses, including Australia's oldest. The course at Bothwell (named after the last husband of Mary, Queen of Scots) on the Clyde River has been in continuous use since 1822.

Housing the Australasian Golf Museum - with the largest collection of golf memorabilia in the Southern hemisphere - it is, however, also a working sheep farm which has necessitated the rule that if you hit a sheep you can play that shot again.

Bothwell, settled by Scottish graziers in the 1820s, has retained it's 19th century ambience. With 53 classified buildings, some housing arts, crafts, old wares and collectables, it is a place where bushrangers roamed and young Irelanders settled into a harsher lifestyle than they had ever dreamt of knowing. Local cemetery gravestones tell their stories of hardship and provide a focus for historians.

On the way to Bothwell you may encounter an unexpected surprise on the side of the road - Stephen Walker's bronze sculptures depicting highland life. Then just north a few hundred metres north, the Old Steppes homestead, another monument to life gone by in the highlands and its pioneers.

At Derwent Bridge, a short drive from the Lodge, 'The Wall' in the Wilderness is Australia's most ambitious art project to be undertaken in recent years. It is expected to take 10 years to complete and will eventually consist of 100 sculpted panels each three metres high and one metre wide.

This series of story panels as well as numerous three dimensional works will be sculpted predominantly in timber, unlocking the history, hardship and perserverence of the people of the Central Highlands, Tasmania, paying homage to the individuals upon whose labour rests our own quality of life.

The murals are carved out of rare Huon pine and feature panels five metres high, telling the stories of pioneering development of the harsh Central Highlands, beginning with the indigenous people, to timber harvesters, to pastoralists, to Hydro-electricity and mining.

A five minute drive from Derwent Bridge is Lake St Clair, a magnificent natural lake at the southern end of the famous overland track in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park. Here you can combine a ferry cruise with an easy lakeside walk.

Take the time to meet local residents and learn about our area's facinating history. Enjoy the hospitality and tap into local knowledge. There are river and railway experiences, fishing and hiking adventures and the quiet country atmosphere which is an attraction in itself - not to mention the clean mountain air.

Australia's oldest trout hatchery at the Salmon Ponds, Plenty provides for another interesting day out.

You are quite likely to discover drovers with large mobs of sheep and cattle on their way to and from the Alpine summer pastures to lower ranges for winter whilst travelling the lakes highways.

Learn about Tasmania's hydro electric power stations, how the rivers and lakes are harnessed to create the cleanest energy in the world and produce one quarter of Tasmania's power. They then flow on to provide irrigation water for dairy farms, prime lamb production, cherries, hops and poppy crops. Waddamana power station opened in 1916 and is now a museum. You can also visit Tarraleah and Poatina power stations.

Explore some of the local farms and see it all in practice from fine wool production to the colourful cropping of tulips.

Or pamper yourself with a day out in Launceston - capped by a visit to the Aquarius Roman Baths where you can indulge in luxurious relaxation.

The Central Highlands of Tasmania offer endless choices to visitors of all interests.